1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for actuating a lock installed in a door.
2. Description of the Related Art
The device includes a handle to be mounted on the exterior surface of the door. The handle has an extension at each end, each extension serving a different purpose. The one extension cooperates with a lock, whereas the other extension has bearing points and is therefore referred to in the following as the “bearing extension”. A bracket with opposing bearing points for the bearing extension is mounted in the interior of the door. The handle is installed from the outside of the door. For this purpose, the exterior panel of the door has two openings, through which the two extensions of the handle can be inserted. The handle is then installed by a setting movement, in the course of which the bearing points of the handle travel into the opposing bearing points of the bracket.
So that the lock can be actuated conveniently, an electrical control unit is used, which is made up of two parts. This represents what is called the “convenience variant” of the device. Omitting the electrical control unit results in what is called the “standard design”, in which comparable functions are implemented by mechanical means. In the case of the convenience variant, one of the control units is integrated into the handle, whereas the other control unit is located in the vehicle. The two control units are connected to each other by electrical wiring. The electrical wiring is divided into two sections, which are connected to each other by a two-part electrical coupling. At the end of one of the two sections of wiring there is a coupling part connected to the control unit, and at the end of the other section there is a mating coupling part connected to the other control unit in the vehicle. When the handle is installed, the coupling part and the mating coupling part must be connected to each other, and when the handle is removed, the two parts must be disconnected from each other. After the handle has been installed, the coupling parts are located in the area where the handle is mounted in its bearings and must therefore follow the pivoting movement of the handle when the handle is actuated.
DE 102 32 583 A1 shows a known device of the above-described type. A special coupling part is permanently mounted on the bearing extension of the handle described here and is electrically connected to a control unit in the handle. An associated mating coupling part is mounted in a defined angular position in the bracket by way of its own temporary axis of rotation and its own temporary mount for that axis. The handle with its mating coupling part is inserted into the coupling part of the bracket, and after insertion has been completed, it is pivoted toward the bracket. During this pivoting movement, the temporary rotational connection between the mating coupling part and the bracket is broken. After the pivoting movement, the handle is pushed in a direction parallel to the bracket, as a result of which a final axis of rotation on the handle is introduced into its final rotary bearing mount in the bracket. This final rotational mount then defines the rotational movement of the handle when it is actuated later to open the lock.
This known device requires specially designed coupling and mating coupling parts and temporary axes of rotation and axis of rotation mounts between the mating coupling part and the bracket. The handle, the bracket, the coupling part and the mating coupling part are designed specifically for a convenience device with electrical control and be can applied only to such a device. The device cannot be used for standard handles which do not have an electrical control unit, because the mating coupling part is a fixed component of the handle, without which the first phase of handle installation on the bracket is not even possible. The number of units which can be manufactured is therefore limited and the costs relatively high.
DE 100 62 042 A1 describes a device in which at least the mating coupling parts have their own rotary bearing points on the bracket. Here a radial element is supported pivotably on the bracket, and the mating coupling part is seated on the free end of this radial element.
In the device according to DE 196 33 894 C2, the mating coupling part is supported pivotably in a bearing block on the bracket. This pivot bearing of the coupling is aligned axially with the bearing points on the handle and the mating bearing points on the bracket, which are engaged with each other.
Finally, another variant of these devices is known from DE 199 47 977 C1. In this device, the mating coupling part is supported pivotably on a separate bearing in the bracket, and the coupling part is supported on the bearing extension of the handle.
In these known devices, additional components are required for the pivoting support of the mating coupling part on the bracket and possibly for the rotational support of the electrical coupling part on the handle. This requires complicated production and installation steps. These additional components also occupy valuable space. Because the coupling and the mating coupling parts are engaged during the installation of the handle in its bearings, the electrical contact is established invisibly behind the exterior panel of the door and therefore cannot be inspected. For this reason, the electrical contact may be defective.